This profile provides key demographic information on Latino eligible voters1 and other major groups of eligible voters in Texas.2 All demographic data are based on Pew Research Center tabulations of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2014 American Community Survey.3

Hispanics in Texas’s Eligible Voter Population

Population and Electorate in the United States and Texas, 2014
  • The Hispanic population in Texas is the second largest in the nation. About 10.4 million Hispanics reside in Texas, 18.8% of all Hispanics in the United States.
  • Texas’s population is 39% Hispanic, the third largest Hispanic statewide population share nationally.
  • There are 4.8 million Hispanic eligible voters in Texas—the second largest Hispanic statewide eligible voter population nationally. California ranks first with 6.9 million.
  • Some 28% of Texas eligible voters are Hispanic, the second largest Hispanic statewide eligible voter share nationally. New Mexico ranks first with 40%.
  • Some 46% of Hispanics in Texas are eligible to vote, ranking Texas 23rd nationwide in the share of the Hispanic population that is eligible to vote. By contrast, 79% of the state’s white population is eligible to vote.

Characteristics of Eligible Voters

  • Age. One-third (32%) of Hispanic eligible voters in Texas are ages 18 to 29, similar to the share of all Latino eligible voters nationwide (33%) in that age range. By contrast, only 24% of all Texas eligible voters and 22% of all U.S. eligible voters are ages 18 to 29.
  • Citizenship and Nativity. Among Hispanic eligible voters in Texas, 16% are naturalized U.S. citizens. This is less than the 25% of Hispanic eligible voters in the U.S., but just 9% of all eligible voters in Texas and of eligible voters in the U.S. overall are naturalized U.S. citizens.
  • Hispanic Origin. Hispanic eligible voters in Texas have a different Hispanic origin profile from Hispanic eligible voters nationwide. Fully 87% are Mexican, greater than the 59% rate nationwide. An additional 2% are of Puerto Rican origin and 2% are Salvadoran. In the U.S., 14% of Hispanic eligible voters are Puerto Rican and 3% are Salvadoran.
  • Educational Attainment. About one-quarter of Latino eligible voters in Texas (24%) have not completed high school, almost twice the 13% of all Texas eligible voters who have not completed high school and somewhat higher than the 22% of Hispanics nationwide who have not completed high school.
  • Homeownership. Almost two-thirds of Hispanic eligible voters in Texas (65%) live in owner-occupied homes, larger than the share of all Hispanic eligible voters nationwide (55%) and similar to the share of all eligible voters in the state (66%). Nationwide, 67% of eligible voters live in owner-occupied homes.
Characteristics of Eligible Voters in Texas and the United States, 2014

Characteristics of Eligible Voters in Texas, by Race and Ethnicity

  • Number of Eligible Voters. There are about twice as many white eligible voters as Hispanic eligible voters in Texas. Hispanic eligible voters outnumber black eligible voters by about 2 to 1 and Asian eligible voters by about 8 to 1.
  • Age. Latino eligible voters are younger than white, black and Asian eligible voters in Texas. Some 32% of Latinos are ages 18 to 29, compared with 19% of white eligible voters, 26% of black eligible voters and 21% of Asian eligible voters.
  • Educational Attainment. Hispanic eligible voters have lower levels of education than do white, black and Asian eligible voters in Texas. Some 24% of Hispanic eligible voters have not obtained a high school diploma, compared with 7% of white eligible voters, 12% of black eligible voters and 11% of Asian eligible voters.
  • Homeownership. Hispanic eligible voters (65%) are more likely to live in owner-occupied homes than black eligible voters (46%) in Texas, but are less likely to live in owner-occupied homes than white (71%) or Asian (78%) eligible voters.
Characteristics of Eligible Voters in Texas, by Race and Ethnicity, 2014